June 27 – September 18, 2009
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EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

Darwin is an engaging exploration of the extraordinary life and mind of Charles Darwin whose curiosity, observations and discoveries nearly 150 years ago forever changed the perception of the origin and nature of our species. The exhibition is divided into nine distinct sections, including:

Young Naturalist
Charles Darwin was an indifferent student who abandoned a career path in medicine and moved with ambivalence toward entering the clergy before he
was invited to be the ship’s naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle. By then, he
was already an avid naturalist and collector of plants, animals, and rocks. Encounter a re-creation of a famous rock outcrop in Scotland called Hutton’s Unconformity that Darwin and many other geologists of his time recognized as evidence of Earth’s long, ancient history.

A Trip Around the World
Darwin’s five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle was filled with colorful environments. Discover the flora, fauna and creatures Darwin witnessed in his travels.

A Life’s Work
Explore an elaborate reconstruction of the famous naturalist’s study at Down House. Manuscripts and artifacts help illuminate the patterns he observed among species, leading to the publication of the astonishing and brilliant The Origin of Species.

Evolution Today
What’s happened since Darwin’s theory was established 150 years ago? Learn about contemporary examples of modern evolutionary research. Darwin’s original perspectives and theory have been enhanced and enriched by subsequent discoveries in paleontology, genetics and molecular biology.

Related Darwin Display

The Galapagos Islands: Evolution’s Showcase
A Photographic Essay
On view through September 18, 2009

It was during his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle that Charles Darwin came across the Galapagos Islands, home to the phenomena his theory would come to explain. In this colorful showcase, William McComas, photographer and former associate professor at the Rossier School of Education of the University of California, depicts the lava fields, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and more that Darwin studied, relating them to adaptation, natural selection and evolution.

Don’t miss this colorful display located in our parking garage walkway. This display is available for viewing at no cost.